Resolving security alerts by removing an old kernel

While working on an Oracle instance running on a Unix EC2 server, I encountered a recurring security alert indicating that my server was using an outdated kernel version. Despite being up to date with patches, the issue persisted. This blog post outlines the steps I took to address this problem efficiently, allowing me to continue my work without the need for creating a new server.

Identifying the Issue:

To determine the kernel versions installed on my system, I used the command:

rpm -qa | grep kernel

Among the listed versions, I noticed an older kernel, “kernel-uek-5.4.17-2136.319.1.3.el7uek.x86_64,” that was causing the security alert.

Solution Steps:

Switching to Root User:
To make the necessary changes, I switched to the root user using the command:

sudo su root

Removing the Old Kernel:
To remove the outdated kernel version, I utilized the following command:

yum remove kernel-uek-5.4.17-2136.319.1.3.el7uek.x86_64

This command triggered the removal process and displayed the following output:

Loaded plugins: ulninfo
Resolving Dependencies
--> Running transaction check
---> Package kernel-uek.x86_64 0:5.4.17-2136.319.1.3.el7uek will be erased
--> Finished Dependency Resolution

Dependencies Resolved

=====================================================================================================================================================================================================
Package                                     Arch                                    Version                                                       Repository                                   Size
=====================================================================================================================================================================================================
Removing:
kernel-uek                                  x86_64                                  5.4.17-2136.319.1.3.el7uek                                    @ol7_UEKR6                                  115 M

Transaction Summary
=====================================================================================================================================================================================================
Remove  1 Package

Installed size: 115 M
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading packages:
Running transaction check
Running transaction test
Transaction test succeeded
Running transaction
  Erasing    : kernel-uek-5.4.17-2136.319.1.3.el7uek.x86_64                                                                                                                                      1/1
  Verifying  : kernel-uek-5.4.17-2136.319.1.3.el7uek.x86_64                                                                                                                                      1/1

Removed:
  kernel-uek.x86_64 0:5.4.17-2136.319.1.3.el7uek

Complete!